Nerf football, $9. “Most Nerf footballs are like throwing around a loofah sponge, but this one is heavier so you can really huck it,” says Alex. Funnily enough, he and I have been tossing it around recently (since the boys are still too little), and it’s really fun — I finally get what everyone’s been talking about.

Polaroid cube, $99.99, a magnetic, hands-free camera, so he can capture sweet moments on the fly. You can shoot HD video and photos from any vantage, like bikes, golf clubs, scooters — our friend sticks it to a bedside lamp to capture family snuggles.

Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious new book about dads (of all breeds) trying to get their kids to say “dada” before “mama.” $10.

All these gifts ideas are adorable!!! especially the father and son shirt! Last father’s day I gave my husband his favorite football team shirt. I think gift baskets is one of the alternative for steak, if you are interested feel free to check out varieties of gift baskets here: http://www.salamisbymail.com/index.php/products/gifts.html

I love your gift guides! They’re always so helpful. This year my sister and I are building a corn hole set for my dad. It’s one of the more labor intensive things we’ve done but I think he’s going to love it.

Can anyone who has read The Boys in the Boat comment on whether or not there is any material in it that would be inappropriate for a 14 year old girl? My daughter is going to start rowing crew this summer, and I wonder if this would be a good book to get her psyched up.

I think she’ll love it! There’s absolutely nothing in it that’s inappropriate for a 14 year old girl. What she may learn from it is what the depression was like, how much kids that had barely enough food to survive on were willing to do to get an education, and how dedication and hard work fulfills dreams.

June 12, 2015 11:34am /

js says...

Then definitely get her THE RED ROSE CREW, about the first women’s Olympic team.

We love the idea of the steak gift – nothing is better than a shared meal at home. BUT we suggest a healthier alternative than traditional grain and hormone fattened animals :: http://www.hamletmeats.com

Thanks for the gift guide. Some additional gift ideas for father’s day could be aromatherapy gifts or tea gifts for relaxation and wellbeing or more traditional gift giving options such as fine watches and gourmet gift baskets.http://www.giftsreadytogo.com

In one of your past gift guides you suggested a football, so I told my brother to get it for my boyfriend for Christmas and to this DAY my BF says it’s the best gift he ever got. We live in a tiny apartment but still play catch in the living room at least once a week. It’s funny, our conversations are ten times better over a game of catch than they are at a restaurant!

‘Boys In the Boat’ is mesmerizing …. though arguably not just for boys and Dads! ;)

A pack of Dad’s favorite beer + custom pint glasses is nice, too. I picked up his favorite local (and hard to get!) nano-brew + a set of pint glasses in case he decides to share one or two! If any Dad’s are based in Portland, ME I highly recommend: http://www.bissellbrothers.com/ !

Here we got Father’s Day on March. I got my husband a new polo shirt. My dad passed away three years ago and he used to wear those aviator sunglasses, so it’s a great gift- but I can’t see my husband with that kind of stuff. It reminds me my own dad and it’s weird!
Your guides are awesome, Joanna. Keep it on!

Another great idea that’s super affordable is a spare charge for his phone. They are literally the size of a tiny wallet and weigh next to nothing and this way if the phone battery dies there is an extra charge on hand! You can get them on amazon! xoxo yael

Boys in the Boat: YES!!! It’s incredible. Unbroken would be another book if your guy hasn’t read it yet. Totally captivating and inspirational. This is a great list. The card and the Jimmy Fallon book are so cute/fun! Thanks!

The leather tray is gorgeous! I am a fan of Jimmy Fallon and didn’t know he released a book – will definitely check it out (: We have also posted a fun and quirky gift guide for Father’s Day on our blog (link: http://bit.ly/1FKq5Wd) and would really love it if you could check it out when you have the time! Thanks for sharing your gift ideas!

I LOVE all these ideas, def keeping a few in my back pocket for the hubs’ birthday as well. :-) I also like getting my baby daddy cologne for father’s day, he totally appreciates having it but would never buy it for himself so it feels like a special indulgence. I got my dad a photo gift from artifact uprising, and we try to find cool vintage baseball cards for my father in law every year.

So rowing menswear was pretty, um, revealing! The gift of meat, nerf, the sunglasses love those too. A Whiffle ball and bat make for a good time if you have the outdoor space to let Dad show off his out-of-the-park swing! Buy and extra ball….you will need a back-up!

These are really great! Like, REALLY great! I especially love the sunglasses and the socks and the nerf football… and I’ve been trying to get my husband (also Alex!) to pick up my copy of the Boys in the Boat for a couple weeks now…

I can vouch for the steaks as a gift idea – especially if you’re looking for something for a dad who many be older and has everything. My dad was the hardest person to buy for (old, cranky… “is it made in the USA?!” – you get the picture) but when I sent him steaks, he raved! I never, ever had so much positive feedback from a gift before. So if he’s hard to buy for and likes to cook, go for it!

Great ideas Joanna but Jo/folks, I’m confused… do people generally give presents to the father of their children on Father’s Day? We don’t have kids, but when we do, I would imagine that when they are tiny I would either stick with a card, or pick a gift out that’s more “from a kid” (not… lingerie). And when they’re old enough to think for themselves, they can do their own thing and I would just wish my husband a happy Father’s Day and probably not get a card or gift? I’m more than on board with the sentiment of appreciating our husbands / babydaddies on Father’s Day, but I just question the implication in this post that we’re meant to get them *gifts*

I guess what I see in this list is a bunch of ideas for what to get my husband for his birthday, the holidays, or Valentine’s Day (though we don’t usually exchange substantial gifts then either… man, are we just so not romantic?). NOT ideas gifts for my father or his father on Father’s Day.

hi jenna, thanks for your comment. see ideas for older dads in a comment below! (I just wrote them in)

and it’s funny, i actually get alex a bigger present for father’s day, and send my dad a sweet small gift or a note about how much i love him (he always wants that and teared up the first year my siblings and i did that). now i’m curious what other people do! i’d love to hear.

June 10, 2015 8:47pm /

Jenna says...

Thanks Jo for adding more suggestions and for the lovely response! We usually do a small gift and sweet (and/or funny) note for my father-in-law, too. I do think that the note is the beating heart of it all, fathers or father-of-children alike. Sorry, I had a cranky knee-jerk reaction at the thought of yet another annual occasion that had a cultural norm of a thoughtful just-right gift! But these really are some great suggestions to keep on hand at different price points, so thanks for curating.

June 10, 2015 9:55pm /

Renae says...

My son (who is 3) would “get” some of these for my husband for father’s day (not the lingerie). He’s getting his Dad this year a tech gadget (husband debating between a fitbit and some other thing that I’m not sure what it does), some new polo shirts, and tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays game (where we live)

June 10, 2015 10:11pm /

Anna says...

This so funny! I was reading through the post and comments, thinking how sweet it all was and how great my husband and father and father-in-law are, when I got to Jenna’s comment, and suddenly remembered, we don’t do anything for Father’s Day or Mother’s Day for that matter! (And yes, my husband and I have three young kids and a fourth on the way). I guess I got caught up in the cuteness of the post and sort of forgot. :) We make a big deal out of Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and birthdays, but we’ve never done much for other holidays. Is that weird? :)

June 10, 2015 11:07pm /

Clare says...

I’m from England and in our family we would value something home-made or time rather than spending loads of money. For Mother’s Day it has to be a small bunch of daffodils and maybe afternoon tea out. For Father’s Day some specially chosen local beer and time spent together. Time together is the best present (unless you can’t stand the people!). My brother who is in his forties still does little drawings for my parents along with his children – we try to do the same.
However, your list would be great for birthdays. I will now have a bit of a wander round your site as it looks really interesting.

I’m on the hunt for something sentimental and happy tears inducing. I’ve been looking for weeks and pretty much every gift guide sticks to utilitarian type gifts or funny stuff. I feel like mother’s day is so much easier to shop for!

Thanks so much for the tip! This is definitely more along the lines of what I’ve been hoping for. My Dad lives in another state and we only see each other every few months so a photo book for his coffee table would be so appreciated.

and from this list, the boys in the boat book + mouth food + steaks + game would work for an older dad, and food52 has awesome stuff, if your dad is into food and drink: http://bit.ly/1F9Bn4T. Pinhole Press and Artifact Uprising both make adorable photo gifts, and you could use a photo from when you were a baby (most dads can’t get enough of that stuff). this leather tray is awesome — it says “DAD” and is the perfect place to store keys, change, pens, etc. http://www.billykirk.com/collections/compatibles/products/no-309-leather-tray-plain

Oh my gosh, Joanna. The Pop/Tot shirts could not be cuter. I’m ordering right now.

I honestly don’t know what I would do without your gift guides! My husband and I are still reading Soppy together before bed–a book I ordered after you recommended it for Valentine’s Day. Thank you for doing the heavy lifting! I’ll be sure to take pictures of my boys in their shirts and post it to my fledgling blog: http://www.afriendlyharbor.com.

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